From Star Wars to Jedi: The Fanzine Way

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Title: From Star Wars to Jedi: The Fanzine Way
Creator: Sharon Saye
Date(s): 1985
Medium: print
Fandom: Star Wars
Topic:
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From Star Wars to Jedi: The Fanzine Way is a 1985 essay by Sharon Saye.

It was printed in The Wookiee Commode #2.

first page of the essay

Some Topics Discussed

  • themes and evolution of Star Wars fanfiction
  • "One zine. Against the Sith, was extremely anti-Leia; in an analysis of the virtues of each of the SW charac ters, Leia ranked just above Darth Vader."
  • none of the stories mentioned or discussed are very "adult/explicit" ones, though there is a slight nod to Ships in the Night (in which "Luke even gets Cori Beckett to bed with "steamy" results. Now that is positive action.") and "Guardian 3 even offered two versions of events aboard the Falcon after the escape from Hoth. Both entitled "Slow Boat to Bespin," Anne Elizabeth Zeek's version purports to show what could have happen ed, while Barbara Wenk's describes what probably occurred.". See Open Letters to Star Wars Zine Publishers (1981)
  • a veritable cornucopia of shout-outs of names and fics: only a fraction are mentioned in the excerpts below

The Stories and Zines Discussed

From the Essay

Star Wars in 1977 sparked far more than just an entertainment phenomenon. It also fueled the creative fires of a legion of fans who turned their imaginations to a "galaxy far, far away" and produced their own Star Wars-oriented fanzines. With the wide-open nature of George Lucas' world and its uniquely attractive characters, fans were inspired to develop their own variations. Further fueled by the appearance of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, fans can be congratulated on the sheer variety of fanzines they have produced.

One observation is obvious: fanzines reflect the tone of each movie they followed. Star Wars inspired a series of adventure stories in which Han, Luke, and Leia jaunted around the galaxy fighting the Empire. Han was a tough-talking smuggler; Luke, a naive farmboy dedicated to the Force; and Leia, a snippy princess committed to the Rebellion. In most stories, Han had an irresistible attraction to the opposite sex, while Luke and Leia were discovering their love for one another.

But fan writers brought a greater complexity to these characters than was displayed in the film. The friendship between Luke and Han, Luke's growing mastery of the Force,, and Leia's strength of commitment to the Rebellion all appear in any number of stories.

The Empire Strikes Back changed the tone; with its darker mood and unanswered questions, fan writers were faced with a much grimmer plot and far more complex characters. Relationships were changed. Han Solo was more than just a mercenary freighter captain, and Luke Skywalker had a far more involved destiny than any fan writer had imagined. A few authors provided their answers to the plot revelations—Susan Matthews in "A Jedi Craves Not These Things" and Anne Elizabeth Zeek in "Skyfall"—but on the whole most stories and poems remained within the framework of the film, the writers waiting for Lucas' own answers in Jedi.

Since Return of the Jedi, writers have taken off in every direction; the fanzines published in the two years since indicate a wide variety of responses. Some writers ignore Jedi's plot solutions in favor of their own alternate universes; others make slight changes in plot-line while many fill in missing scenes.

The real attraction of fans to the SW universe has always been George Lu cas' characters. Each has his or her proponents, but, by far, the favorite in all fan fiction is Han Solo. Over the course of eight years he has gone from being the red-neck trucker of the skyways to a responsive general in the Alliance. In fan literature he has had an exceedingly varied career. After SW, fans accepted him pretty much as presented: a charming, sexy smuggler with a hidden heart of gold. But after TESB, fans saw him in a dif ferent light.

He has been depicted as everything from the "other" to a prince. He has been Darth Vader's son and his brother, Luke Skywalker's uncle and even his father, Leia Organa's childhood rescuer and her murderer. He has been beaten, tortured, wounded, killed, maimed, blinded, and drugged. He has fan-created sisters, mothers, fathers, brothers, grandparents, and children. Women of every race and occupation have been involved with him from Cori Beckett, who rescues him from a pleasure palace (Pegasus 5) , to Lyan Dan Iro-ki, who sac rifices herself to the Empire to save him (Trackless Voids) . For a man who doesn't believe in the Force, he has an irresistible attraction to its users, from Skye Amberson in Christine Jeffords' "Brightstar" series to Bethan in Counterpoint: The Battle for Rynan by Maggie Nowakowska. And many writers have developed the theme of Han as a Force-user himself; in Jean Stevenson's Evolution of a Rebel he is trained by Yoda as a Jedi, and in Anne Elizabeth Zeek's "Skyfall" he is the hereditary Bright Lord of the Force.

After TESB, many stories and poems concentrated on Luke's personal agony over his father's identity, his best friend:*s fate, and the loss of Leia to Han. In two different stories in Guardian 4 Luke deals with the shock of the events on Bespin. In "Dark Knight of the Soul" by Paula Block he almost succumbs to the fear Vader has implanted, but his concern for Han enables him to deal with his anguish and dedicate himself to rescuing Han even if it means facing Vader again. In "Aftershock" by Debbie Gilbert it is Leia's faith in who he is that helps Luke cope with the shock, and then it is his love that gives him the strength to reassure her when she confesses her love for Han. In Linda Knights' vignette, "In the Still of the Knight" in Skywalker 6 Luke accepts Leia's feelings for Han and confronts the truth that Vader is indeed his father, but realizes he doesn't have to make any decision at that time....

Luke has developed in fan literature from the too-innocent farmboy who was always being told by Kenobi's shade to "run, Luke, run" to a man with problems and loyalties. Jedi should open even greater possibilities for Luke Skywalker.

Leia Organa is the one character who has had more than her share of detrac tors. In some fanzines she is pictured as cold, manipulative, and heartless. Leia in reality is a very complicated character who changes throughout the saga while staying essentially the same. She is loyal, dedicated, understand- ing, committed, and intelligent, but she is often depicted as one-dimensional and selfish. Even in the best of stories, "Life-Line" by Anne Elizabeth Zeek (Kessel Run 4) for example, Leia emerges as the most dangerous of the series' stars. In this story she would slag the Rurlizar Prison where Luke is held in order to prevent his revealing Alliance secrets to Vader. Later, only Han prevents her from murdering eight unconscious prison guards. Leia's pragma tism and relentless loyalty to the Rebellion earn her an eternal revenge in Zeek's sequel, "Blood-Line" (Kessel Run 4). One zine. Against the Sith, was extremely anti-Leia; in an analysis of the virtues of each of the SW characters, Leia ranked just above Darth Vader.

In the post-Empire stories Leia remains with the Alliance, but now she is aware of her need for Han as a lover and Luke as a friend. In Zeek's "Queen's Gambit" (Pegasus 5) Leia can wait no longer and attempts to rescue Han her self, but she only faces Vader's seductive offer to trade Han for Luke; this Leia is courageous and capable, but even she has her limits as her despair after her failed mission threatens to overwhelm her. In Pat Nussman's chil ling alternate, "Journey's End" (Passage to Arms), her inability to survive after Han's death leads her to vengeance and the Dark Side. Leia as a character has her greatest attraction in her dealings with Han and Luke. Before TESB, the princess was usually matched with her devoted Jedi knight, but after the plot twists of Empire most authors concentrated on her suffering over Han's fate and her choice of Han over Luke. The dawning love between Han and Leia fascinated several writers, particularly Jean Stevenson, W^^cia Brin, &nd Pat Nussman. Guardian 3 even offered two versions of events aboard the Falcon after the escape from Hoth. Both entitled "Slow Boat to Bespin," Anne Elizabeth Zeek's version purports to show what could have happen ed, while Barbara Wenk's describes what probably occurred.

Leia's "super bitch" image has moderated over time, just as Luke's gosh-wow farmboy and Han's "I'm only in it for the money" mercenary have faded to be replaced by more complicated and human portrayals.

Darth Vader is a character whose attraction at first seems unexpected, but, like Arthur Conan Doyle's Moriarity, he becomes so powerful a force in the movies that he equals the heroes. Even Lucas admitted that Vader grew some what out of his control, and he had his doubts about how his appearance and actions in ROTJ would be accepted.

Vader has had his ups and downs in fan fiction. Before Jedi he was most often depicted as a black-hearted villain with no redeeming qualities. But before TOSB he had a more ambivalent treatment. "Dark Interlude" by Sharon Emily finds Vader falling in love with a beautiful, if blind, Jedi girl. In "Alternate Quintettes" in Alternate Universes of Star Wars, Pat Carpenter depicts Vader as a child, a young Jedi, a husband and father. In "The Jemada" by Pat Munson (Moonbeam 3) he rescues a legendary leader of the Jedi who teaches him the fullness of both sides of the Force. In another story, "In truder" by Ann Wilson (Mos Eisley Tribune 3), he even works with Luke, Han, and Leia to destroy the devouring invader of the galaxy.

But after TESB Vader returned to being an out-and-out villain. His strangling of officers for offenses beyond their control and lopping off his own son's hand re-earned him super-evil status. He seemed to have lost the redeemable qualities that appealed to fan authors after Star Wars.

A few did develop their own views of the Dark Lord. Karen Osman wrote a novel. Knight of Shadows, which showed him as a young man whose heritage as Dark Lord of the Sith controlled his destiny. Osman created a culture whose politics and intrigues explained Vader's subsequent behavior.

Carol Hines-Stroede is another author whose work concentrates on Darth Vader. In "Anatomy" in Pegasus 6 she recounts his medical experiences after the duel with Obi-Wan and the reasons he must wear the life-support system and mask. In "Witness for the Defense" (Kessel Run 3) she develops a galaxy power structure where no one trusts anyone, and even the all-powerful Dark Lord can be endangered by his enemies. Hines-Stroede's Vader is capable of loyalty, honor, humor, even charm, a more human Vader who is just as compelling as the one on the screen.

Personal growth and commitment are the themes of many of the stories con cerning Han, Luke, and Leia. Han's inability to make a commitment, his emphasis on being free of all ties, recurs again and again, while Leia's commitment to the Alliance at the cost of her emotions is a familiar motif in stories. Over eight years of fanzines, Han has learned to make a commitment while Leia has grown up enough to love even a scoundrel. The most common theme concerning Luke Skywalker deals with his growth, both emotionally and as a Jedi. Anne Elizabeth Zeek in her story "Skyfall" (Kessel Run 3) examines these themes of commitment and growth. In her sequel to TESB she offers a plot which has more mythological tone than most while also providing a first-class psychological examination of Luke. Luke is heir to the Dark Lord while Han is the surviving Bright Lord of the Force. Both Leia and Luke are tested by Han. Luke comes to grips with his Dark heritage, his jealousy of Han because of Leia, and his potential to use the Force to get what he wants. All three recognize the roles they must play, and Zeek's final confrontation between Vader and Luke is masterfully portrayed.

Another story that provides the author's answers to TESB is Susan Matthews' "A Jedi Craves Not These Things" (Guardian 4). Luke's personal growth prepares him for the duel with Vader, while Han comes to his own answers after he is rescued by Lando and Chewie from Jabba. The rivalry between Han and Luke over Leia is resolved in an unexpected manner. Jenine Hennig in her "Catalyst" series (Far Realms) also handles these joint themes of growth and com mitment. Luke runs from his responsibilities only to find his true Jedi mate and bring Vader down upon them. He learns at great cost his potential for Darkness while Han admits his love for Leia and his commitment to her and to the Alliance. Leia's attempt to use Luke as solace in Han's absence precipitates his flight, and her later jealousy over Luke's bond partner forces her to examine her true feelings. With Han's rescue Leia makes her commitment public dspite the Alliance Command's disapproval. None of the characters' growth is easy in Hennig's universe, and the cost is often high.

Love, friendship, responsibility, commitment, and growth are the themes of many fanzine stories and poetry. Each of the three main characters can reflect all of these themes. The Star Wcurs saga offers writers any number of thematic opportunities.

Since Return of the Jedi, there have been only two years of fanzines. Many of the major zines have ceased operation; newer zines have come to fill in the void, but the sheer number of zines is down from the post-Entire heights. But despite the diminishing quantity, the quality of the material is ever-improving.

Jedi has left an open door for fan authors. While Han Solo remains the favorite character for writers, others are now getting their share of attention. Darth Vader, for instance, has greater appeal; he is no longer just a dark-hearted villain.

A number of authors have decided to ignore the events of Jedi and to continue their own alternate universes. Maggie Nowakowska's long-awaited novel Counterpoint: Battle for Rynan (Skywalker 5) is a complex alternate to both Empire and Jedi. Intricately plotted, the novel attempts to people the SW galaxy with believable races and politics. Nowakowska develops a coherent view of the Force with Luke Skywalker as its ever-maturing and burdened lead er. What sets this novel apart from most SW stories is its fully-realized picture of galactic politics and cultures. Although many authors have taken on this theme, Nowakowska's treatment is one of the most complete.

Fans are immensely creative and imaginative as fanzines amply prove. The Star Wars saga will hopefully continue to inspire fan writers even if it no longer does its creator. With the open quality of its plot and characters. It leaves writers with endless options. They can continue to fill in missing scenes, surmise the future and past of its leading characters. They can take plot elements and twist them. Or they can ignore Lucas' plot resolutions and make up their own. Whatever occurs is entirely up to fans. Long may Star Wars inspire.

References

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